Orka Sunlife Luxury

We have just got back from a 10 night stay here.

First off i want to say we had an amazing time! It was me my partner and my 2 year old little girl.

We booked a standard double room, we got upgraded for free to a large double room in the Nirvana block. I want to stay how grateful we were and that it was beautiful! We had 2 private pools in our block and a private bar. The only downside to being in this block was that is was at the top of the hill, so either had to walk up the steps/slope(as we had a pram) or get in the lift which did break down a couple of times throughout our stay. We did get the staff to drop us off a few times which they were more than happy to do.

The Food was nice, pretty decent for an all inclusive. They had themed nights such as mexican, chinese.

Pools were great as well had a little girl we did stay around the little pool often which had 2 little slides. However the bigger pool was also good as it was a gradual slope into the pool and shallow at the top.

The entertainment team were good,they were always doing games and shows. The only downside would be when there was a raffle they were begging you to buy tickets and if you bought a ticket off 1 they would near enough beg you to buy one off them.

The location was beautiful right at the top of the hill with stunning views however, too far to walk to anything. Taxi from the hotel the beach was around £6/7 there is a free shuttle at 10 to the beach.

The waterpark is really good, we went twice during our 10 night stay. Free shuttle at 10 and 10:30 and then return 17:30. Very expensive to eat and drink within the waterpark however you are not allowed to take your own in.

Overall was an amazing holiday and beautiful hotel. However due to the location we would not return.

This is simply my honest experience and, for me, if I had read a review like this before booking, I wouldn’t have chosen this hotel.

We’ve stayed in Turkey twice before, and based on our previous experiences, I have to say that this hotel is considerably different from the other hotels we’ve stayed at. Personally, I would rate it closer to a 3-star experience than a 5-star one.

I appreciate that some of the things I’m going to mention may not bother other people at all, and that’s completely fair. But for our family, these things made a big difference and ultimately meant that we wouldn’t return.

The rooms and accessibility

Firstly, the rooms are very small, and some of the stairs to access them are quite ridiculous. If you’re travelling with young children, pushchairs, or anyone who struggles with stairs, I would seriously consider this before booking.

The lift was also a major issue for us. During our five-day stay, it didn’t work for two of those days. While it was working, it also broke down with people inside it. You could see older guests and families really struggling with the stairs.

Even when the lift was working, it was extremely slow. If there was a queue, you were often better off taking the stairs anyway.

The pools

Another major issue for us was the main pool being closed twice during our five-day stay for several hours because someone had been sick or had used the pool as a toilet.

Obviously, I completely understand why the pool has to be closed in those circumstances. My issue is that there aren’t really suitable alternative pools for the number of guests at the resort.

There is a baby pool, but it is very small, and there is an indoor pool, which is also very small. Neither is really an alternative for the whole resort when the main pool is closed.

This meant that when the main pool was shut, you couldn’t simply move to another pool and carry on with your day. You were essentially waiting around for the main pool to reopen.

This happened twice while we were there, and for us, that’s a significant issue when you’re on a holiday where the pool is one of the main things you’re paying for.

Food and snacks

The hotel has one main buffet restaurant and another smaller area offering things such as ice cream, pancakes and waffles. However, these aren’t available throughout the day.

For example, ice cream and waffles were only available from around 2:30pm–5pm. So if you missed breakfast, you couldn’t simply grab something later in the morning. You were waiting for lunch to open at 12:30pm or for the baked potato option at 12

The ice cream selection was also quite limited.

We’ve stayed at other Turkish hotels, including Dolphin Be Grand and Titanic, and the difference was noticeable. At those hotels, there was a much wider choice of snacks available throughout the day, and it felt much more like the all-inclusive 5-star experience we expected.

There are also two à la carte restaurants, but these are set menus, so again, you don’t have the same flexibility in choosing what you want.

The minibar

The minibar in the room was another disappointment. Once you had the one Coke, one Fanta and one milk, these weren’t replaced. The only thing that was replenished was water.

Again, this may sound like a small thing, but when you’re comparing the hotel to other 5-star all-inclusive resorts, it’s these little details that make a difference.

Towels

I’d also recommend bringing your own towels.

The towels provided were quite small and, in our experience, quite tatty. They also seemed to run out around 1pm, meaning that if you wanted a fresh towel later in the day, you could find yourself stuck with a wet one.

Drinks service

Another thing that surprised us was that you have to go to the bar yourself to get drinks.

At other 5-star Turkish resorts we’ve stayed at, you could use QR codes or similar systems and have drinks brought to you around the pool. Again, it’s a small thing, but it’s part of what I personally associate with a 5-star experience.

Entertainment and atmosphere

This is probably going to be very much down to personal preference.

For us, the resort had more of an 18–30s holiday atmosphere, but with children.

The entertainment starts around 10:30am and it is VERY loud. The entertainment team are constantly coming around trying to get people involved. I completely appreciate that some people absolutely love this type of entertainment, and if you do, you’ll probably have a great time.

But it wasn’t for us.

Personally, I didn’t want to pop a balloon. I didn’t want to play beer pong, and I didn’t want to be getting up and dancing beside the pool with the entertainment team.there’s not anything wrong with people who enjoy it. It’s simply not the type of holiday atmosphere our family wanted.

The Aqua Park

One of the definite positives was the Aqua Park. This was really good, and the fact that it was free was a big bonus.

However, there is an additional cost to consider because you’re not allowed to bring your own water, drinks or anything you want to consume into the Aqua Park.

I completely understand why they have this rule — they have to make money from selling food and drinks — but it is something worth being aware of before you go.

If you’re a large family, buying everything inside can become quite expensive, so although the Aqua Park itself is a great addition and we really enjoyed it, you could easily end up spending quite a bit extra while you’re there.

The positives

I do want to be fair and mention the good things, because there are positives.

The staff work incredibly hard. They genuinely don’t seem to stop, and at times you almost feel sorry for them because they’re working so hard..

The children’s slides are good and the kids enjoyed them.

The Aqua Park is also a great facility and, being included in the holiday, is definitely a positive.

The entertainment team are lovely people. They are clearly doing their job and doing what they have been instructed to do. My issue isn’t with them personally it’s simply that the constant entertainment and loud atmosphere wasn’t what we wanted from our holiday.

Overall

For me, the things I’ve mentioned above simply don’t scream 5-star and the amount we paid